A CASE OF SEVERE NEONATAL LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS WITHOUT CARDIAC OR CUTANEOUS INVOLVEMENT

Neonatal lupus erythematosus is a disease primarily characterized by c ardiac and/or cutaneous involvement. Liver and haematological involvem ent occur in a few cases and these are normally considered to be mild and transient complications. The disease is suspected to be caused by transplacental passage of maternal autoantibodies, primarily anti-Ro/S SA and anti-La/SSB, from mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus. He re we report a child with neonatal lupus erythematosus who died from s evere liver and haematological disease when 2 d old. The baby had no c ardiac or cutaneous involvement. The mother has had two subsequent pre gnancies. In the first she had a boy without certain signs of neonatal lupus erythematosus. In the next pregnancy the child developed congen ital complete heart block and cutaneous lesions.